Is Deadmau5 Addicted To Gambling?

After helping make EDM a household term and crashing the mainstream on the strength of his hit collaboration with My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, the song “Professional Griefers,” electronic music superstar Deadmau5 has been enjoying the spoils of his success with marathon gambling sessions in Las Vegas where he bets tens of thousands of dollars at a time.

According to an expose on Shortlist.com, Deadmau5’s current residency at the Encore Tower Suites in Las Vegas is extremely lucrative, with the resort’s owner Steve Wynn claiming that Deadmau5 (AKA Joel Zimmerman) is making more money than “Sinatra at his peak.” The story’s photographer even alleged that Zimmerman was sitting on a cool $100,000 in his hotel room.

Spending time with Deadmau5 at the blackjack tables of the Encore Tower Suites, the writer watched as the EDM producer gambled thousands of dollars over the course of several hours.

“This is the only thing these days that stimulates the sh** outta me,” Deadmau5 said of the high-stakes gambling. “I play a nightclub and everyone’s freaking out: ‘I love you, Deadmau5!’ I’m desensitized to it. If you wanna really get my heart rate going, gimme $100,000 credit in a casino, let me burn it down until I have $20 left and then I’m in a panic.”

As the producer celebrates the September 25 release of his new record, Album Title Goes Here, the famously outspoken Deadmau5 is still ruffling feathers in the dance music community. Speaking to USA Today, he unceremoniously threw DJs under the bus while explaining how he’s not a part of that world.

“There’s a time and place for a DJ,” he said. “And that’s a bar mitzvah. Or a children’s party. How do I say this safely? I just have a problem with a guy out there playing everyone else’s music but his own, creating a marketplace for himself in a market he had nothing to do with.”